TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese earthquake scientists have found that a volcanic conduit is forming across Dayoukeng, a volcanic fumarole near the Tianmu and Beitou areas of northern Taipei, and predict that the low-lying Jinshan area would be worst hit if a volcanic eruption were to take place.

Led by National Academia Sinica scholar Dr. Lin Cheng-horne (林正宏), the research team discovered that volcanic features are still significant in the Tatun Volcano Group, including the release of gases and heat as well as regular earthquakes between 2014 and 2017, proving that the Tatun Volcanoes are active. If there were an eruption, the lava would most likely pour out through a volcanic conduit near Dayoukeng, Lin said.

The team found that a volcanic conduit, a feature in other active volcanoes around the world, has indeed formed across Dayoukeng. The pipe is two kilometers long with a radius of 500 meters.

The silver lining of this development is that knowing the location of the tube enables scientists to monitor and prepare for suspicious events.

Lin told LTN that in the event of an eruption at Dayoukeng, the lava would most likely flow to the low-lying Jinshan area, but residents in Tianmu and Beitou should also stay alert and prepare for the worst.

In response to the growing risk of eruption, the country's Central Weather Bureau is going to implement a volcano monitoring and warning system by the end of the year that will cover the Tatun Volcanoes in the north and Turtle Island off the northeast coast.

The findings have been published in the prestigious journal Scientific Reports.